Perhaps the next unit, the necessity, nature, and purposes of Christian suffering would be the most sustaining.

I think to learn that God is absolutely sovereign, to learn that suffering has a global meaning,

are like standing on something really solid.

But even when you're standing on something really solid, you can get beat up pretty bad by hail storms.

And finding something bigger or, let's say, more personal as to what God might be up to in your life can be very sustaining. So the most common agonizing

question after a horrible accident or a disease or loss of a child or loss of anybody is the why

question. Why? Why? Lord. Why? And that's not a wrong question to ask. It's not a sinful response if you're really open to his giving you an answer. If the why is an ugly in your face, there's no answer to this and I'm mad at you and I'm going to stay mad at you forever kind of response. That's sinful. But to cry out why I will I'm sure if I found

out that Talatha were hit by a car today I would say God and then I hope that my heart

would come to these truths and find rest.

So, here we go.

The necessity and nature and purposes of suffering.

I'm looking for my pen.

There it is.

First, is it necessary that we suffer as Christians?

Second, what kind of suffering are we talking about?

Persecution or disease or both or how do they work together?

Third question, what's God up to in it?

That's what I mean by necessity, nature, and purposes.

So I'm going to go quickly through, we won't read all these texts

because I really want to get through this unit and you can read the text yourself.

Another time, perhaps.

The necessity of Christian suffering must Christians suffer.

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